The present invention relates to concrete forms. More particularly, the present invention relates to a telescoping concrete form that may be permanent.
Concrete forms and their use are widely known. When laying concrete, concrete forms are positioned to create voids in the concrete. One common use for creating a void is to provide access to equipment, lines, or other objects that may lie underneath or behind a concrete slab.
The most widely used method of creating concrete voids is to use a wooden form. Typically, for each concrete job, a new wooden form is used. A wooden form is constructed to fill the void that is created in poured concrete. The creation of these forms can be labor intensive. In addition to constructing the wooden form, a hole will need to be created underneath the wooden form. The hole created must be larger than the void that is to be created. In addition, the depth of the cement must be sufficient to cover the height of the form walls, which can require added time and materials. Once the concrete is poured, leveled, smoothed, or otherwise prepared, it is set. The setting process of the concrete takes significant time. Typically, at least 24 hours is allowed for the concrete to set. After this time, the wooden forms must be removed from the concrete. Because of the amount of time required for the concrete to set, a contractor, plumber, or other professional must return to the site to remove the form. The wooden form must be removed because if it is left in the void, it will rot and/or attract insects such as termites. The wooden forms are difficult to remove because the wood is usually swollen from moisture and the cement is not fully cured. When the cement is in this state, it is particularly easy to chip. Once the form is removed, additional cement needs to be mixed in order to fill the bottom of the void and fix the chips or other imperfections in the walls. Then a lid, often a metal cover, is installed over the void. The lids are usually precut squares and often need to be modified in order for them to fit properly, as the void may not be perfectly square.
Thus there are a number of problems with this type of form and this procedure. These problems include the amount of time that it takes to create the form and the requirement that the form be removed after the cement has cured.
Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to improve upon the state of the art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a concrete form that need not be removed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that may be inexpensively manufactured.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for a concrete form that does not require a metal lid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a concrete form that is adjustable to various heights.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for a lid that will fit a void without modification.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that eliminates the time and labor associated with building wooden forms.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that eliminates the need for a separate trip to a job site to remove a form, or to pour a bottom of a void, or to place a lid.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that eliminates risks of chipping concrete while removing a form.
A still further object of the present invention is to remove the need for additional cementing to correct imperfections created when removing a form.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that will not rust or rot.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form that is easy to drill.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description.
The present invention is a concrete form. The concrete form may be telescoping in order to adjust the height of the form. The concrete form may be made out of a material such as plastic and need not be removed from a construction site.
Another aspect of the invention includes a lid that may be placed on the concrete form, the lid may be of a plastic material and may fit upon a lip of the concrete form.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for creating a concrete void. The form is adjusted to an appropriate height and placed to create a void. The form is secured in place by pouring concrete in an area in contact with the form.